Rhmad Rashad Jackson of the 100 block of Queen Anne Drive, just a block from the scene of the shooting;is wanted for two counts of first-degree murder, each of which would carry a life sentence or the death penalty if he is caught and convicted.

The Sheriff's Office received several 9-1-1 calls from residents reporting gunfire in the subdivision about 6:20 p.m., Sheriff Jack Strain said during a press conference Friday. Deputies arrived to find one man dead in the driver's seat of a car and another dead in the front yard of a nearby home, Strain said.

The St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office identified the two victims as Adrian Thickland, 33, of Slidell, and Olajuan Johnson, 24, of Pearl River.

Both men suffered from multiple gunshot wounds.

Strain said deputies interviewed several eyewitnesses, and investigators believe Jackson was standing in the street when he fired into the car. Deputies believe Jackson fled on foot after the shooting, and Judge Martin Coady signed a warrant for Jackson's arrest some time later.

Strain said the victims were acquainted with Jackson. Investigators believe they have determined the motive for the shooting, but Strain declined to discuss what it was.

"They were acquaintances," Strain said. "They knew each other. ... (The killing) erupted based on some type of history."

Thursday's killings were the seventh and eighth homicides in St. Tammany Parish this year.

Jackson, whose 22nd birthday is Sunday, remained at large Friday afternoon. He has previously been arrested for resisting arrest in Slidell in 2008 and for subsequently failing to appear in court, but he has never been wanted for something this violent, Strain said.

Deputies asked anyone with information on Jackson's whereabouts to call deputies at 985.898.2338.

Strain warned Jackson's family and friends that sheltering the suspect could lead to their own arrest.